Concealed carry holster belt

ABSTRACT

A concealed carry holster belt for attachment to a concealed carry holster having attachment clips associated therewith, the belt including a belt member having a length, a height, an outer surface and an inner surface, and a plurality of loops, sleeves or pockets located on the inner surface of the belt member for receiving the attachment clips associated with the concealed carry holster, each of the loops, sleeves or pockets being configured such that when the attachment clips are received by at least some of the loops, sleeves or pockets, the attachment clips are substantially hidden behind the outer surface of the belt member.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to and incorporates herein by reference all disclosures in U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/105,292 filed Jan. 20, 2015.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to a concealed carry holster belt for allowing a user to attach a concealed carry holster thereto and, more particularly, to a concealed carry holster belt that is configured to substantially hide the attachment clips generally associated with concealed carry holsters presently available in the marketplace.

Concealed carry holsters are commonly used by law enforcement officers and citizens that have a license to carry a concealed firearm. One known type or style of concealed carry holsters are designed to fit inside the pants of the user between the user's hip or back and the user's pants and such holsters typically have at least one clip, and many have a pair of clips, associated with the holster for allowing a user to attach the holster to the waistband of a user's pants and/or belt. These attachment clips are placed over the waistband of the user's pants and clipped over the user's belt to keep the holster in place. When so attached, these clips are in plain sight and are visible to others over the user's belt. As a result, any third party who knows what to look for can see these clips and know that the user is carrying a concealed weapon.

The purpose of carrying a concealed weapon is to prevent others from knowing that one is carrying a weapon, and thus it is undesirable that the holster attachment clips are visible to any third party who knows to look for such clips. As a result, it is desirable to provide an attachment mechanism for carrying a concealed weapon that prevents a third party from being able to see the attachment clips associated with a concealed carry holster.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to a concealed carry holster belt and, more specifically, to a concealed carry holster belt configured to substantially hide the attachment clips commonly associated with a wide variety of different concealed carry holsters when the attachment clips are engaged with the present belt. The present belt includes an inner surface and an outer surface. The inner surface includes a plurality of loops, sleeves or pockets that may be attached either directly to the inner surface of the belt such as by stitching or other known attachment means, or may be manufactured such that the loops, sleeves or pockets are formed integral with the inner surface of the present belt. The loops, sleeves or pockets are placed at predetermined spaced apart locations along the length of the inner surface of the belt member such that the loops, sleeves or pockets may receive and engage a pair of attachment clips, and in some cases just a single attachment clip, associated with a holster for carrying a concealed weapon. The plurality of spaced loops, sleeves or pockets allows a user to adjust the position of the holster along the length of the inner surface of the belt member at a location desirable to the user.

To attach the holster, the present belt member is first looped through the belt loops associated with a pair of pants. A user may then place the concealed carry holster at a comfortable and/or desirable location between the user's body and the user's pants and the attachment clips associated with the holster are then placed over the waistband of the pants and aligned with at least one, and in most instances, a respective pair of loops, sleeves or pockets on the inner surface of the belt member at the desired location for the user. Subsequently, the clips are pushed downwardly into the loops so that the loops receive the clips located on the holster. When so attached, the concealed carry holster is fully attached to the present belt member and, in one embodiment, only the very extreme top portions of the clips extend over the waistband of the user's pants. For all practical purposes, in one embodiment, the attachment clips are substantially hidden behind the belt member and a third party is unaware that the wearer of the holster belt is carrying a concealed weapon, particularly if a shirt blouses over the waistband, or otherwise obscures the top portions of the clips from view.

In another embodiment of the present holster belt, the loops, sleeves or pockets associated with the inner surface of the belt member are wider or longer along the length of the belt member such that a pair of holster attachment clips may be engaged within a single loop. The wider loops allow for greater adjustability or customization of placement of the holster.

In still another embodiment, the loops, sleeves or pockets associated with the inner surface of the present belt member may extend to the top and bottom edges of the belt member.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the specification and are to be read in conjunction therewith in which like reference numerals are used to indicate like or similar parts in the various views:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of an interior surface of a concealed carry holster belt constructed according to the teachings of one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of a typical concealed carry holster attached to a pair of loops associated with the concealed carry holster belt of FIG. 1, the front surface of the present belt being shown as transparent and the present belt loops being shown in dotted outline form so that engagement of the holster clips with the belt loops can be more readily seen.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the present concealed carry holster belt of FIG. 1 engaged with the concealed carry holster of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of another embodiment of the concealed carry holster belt of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of the interior surface of a concealed carry holster belt constructed according to the teachings of another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a front elevational view of one embodiment of the inner surface of a concealed carry holster belt member 1 constructed according to the teachings of one embodiment of the present invention. Belt member 1 includes an inner surface 5 and an outer surface 10 (illustrated in FIG. 4) and includes a plurality of belt holes or eyelets 25 which are positioned and located on one end of the belt member 1 for mating with a conventional buckle mechanism 20 positioned and located at the opposite end of the belt member 1. The buckle mechanism 20 may include a member or projection (not shown) for engaging the eyelets 25 in a conventional manner. Other belt attachment mechanisms are likewise envisioned and contemplated.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, inner surface 5 includes a plurality of spaced apart pockets, sleeves, or loops 30. Loops 30 may be of a variety of widths so long as the width is at least wide enough to receive at least one attachment clip such as the attachment clips 40 (FIG. 2) associated with a typical concealed carry holster as will be hereinafter further explained. The depth or height of each loop 30 is substantially the same across the length of the inner surface 5 and, in one embodiment, the height or depth of each loop 30 is less than the overall height or depth of the belt member 1 as best shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The space 35 (FIGS. 1 and 2) between the top and bottom edge portions of belt member 1 and the top and bottom of each loop 30 should be sufficient to substantially hide the top and bottom portions of each attachment clip 40 as best illustrated in FIG. 2. Properly positioning and locating each loop 30 within the overall profile of inner surface 5 will prevent the top and bottom portions of each clip 40 from extending outside of the perimeter or profile of belt member 1 and will substantially hide each clip 40 from being visible by a third party. When loops 30 are attached to inner surface 5, each loop 30 is open at both of its top portion and bottom portion so that each loop 30 may receive at least one clip 40 such that the clip extends through the loop, sleeve or pocket 30 as illustrated in FIG. 2. Loops 30 may be spaced apart from one another in order to receive clips 40 at a variety of different locations that may be unique to a particular holster manufacturer, or so that a user may selectively position a holster where he or she prefers and/or is comfortable. Some concealed carry holsters include a pair of attachment clips 40 as illustrated in FIGS. 2-4, and some concealed carry holsters may include just a single attachment clip 40.

The plurality of loops 30 may be attached to the inner surface 5 of belt member 1 in a wide variety of different ways. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 1, each loop 30 could be formed on a separate backing member such as the members 32, and each separate member 32 could be attached to the inner surface 5 of belt member 1 by a horizontal stitch located above and below the loop, sleeve or pocket 30. In this embodiment, the loop, sleeve or pocket 30 is formed on each separate member 32 and then each member 32 is individually selectively attached to the inner surface 5 of belt member 1. Other means of attaching members 32 to the inner surface 5 are likewise recognized and anticipated.

In another embodiment, belt member 1 may be manufactured such that the loops 30 are integrally formed on the inner surface 5 of belt member 1 such that no additional separate members 32 are required. Still further, the plurality of loops 30 could be formed on a separate single piece of material or single backing member and that separate single member could be attached to the inner surface 5 of belt member 1. In this embodiment, the single member will have an overall length less than the overall length of belt member 1 and will be positioned and located at an intermediate location between the buckle mechanism 20 and the eyelets 25 illustrated in FIG. 1. Still further, the plurality of loops 30 could be formed by simply attaching a single, elongated member to the inner surface 5 of belt member 1 at spaced locations along the length of such member as will be hereinafter explained further with respect to FIG. 6.

FIG. 2 illustrates a typical concealed carry holster 15 which may include a backing panel 16 and a receptacle 17 attached to the backing panel, the receptacle 17 being structured and operable to removably retain a firearm such as the firearm 55 (FIG. 4) therewithin. The holster 15 typically additionally includes a pair of belt clips 40 attached to the backing panel 16, although some holsters may include only a single clip 40, the attachment clips 40 being structured and operable to removably secure the holster to at least one of the waistband and belt threaded through belt loops 50 (FIGS. 3 and 4) associated with a user's pants to retain the holster in proper position as previously explained. In FIG. 2, the loops 30 are shown in dotted outline form and the front surface 10 of belt member 1 is illustrated as being transparent for clarification purposes only so that the position, location and attachment of the attachment clips 40 to the loops 30 can be more clearly illustrated. FIG. 3 further illustrates a top plan view of the holster 15 when it is engaged with the present belt member 1 as will be hereinafter further explained. FIG. 4 illustrates the holster 15 attached to the present belt member 1 when viewed by a third party.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, a concealed carry holster 15 is typically worn under the clothes of a user, for example, under a shirt and between the pants 45 of a user and the user's hip or back. Once the present belt member 1 has been looped through the typical belt loops 50 associated with a pair of pants 45, a user will attach the holster 15 to the present belt member 1 in the following manner. First, the holster 15 should be placed inside the waistline of a user's pants at a comfortable and/or desirable location depending upon the user's preference as best illustrated in FIG. 4. Once so positioned, the attachment clip(s) 40 associated with the holster 15 are placed over the waistband of pants 45 such that the attachment clip(s) 40 will align with a pair of loops, sleeves or pockets 30 associated with the inner surface 5 of the present belt member 1. If only one attachment clip 40 is associated with a particular holster, that single clip is aligned with a loop, sleeve or pocket 30. Once so positioned and located, the clip(s) 40 may be pushed downwardly such that they are inserted into and received by the respective pair of loops 30 as best illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3. In this regard, the overall height or depth of belt member 1 and the overall height or depth of each loop 30 are specifically configured so as to conform with the size and shape of the known attachment clips 40 such that neither the top or bottom portions of the clips 40 will extend above or below the top and bottom edge portions of belt member 1. This arrangement ensures that the clips 40 are substantially hidden to a third party as best illustrated in FIG. 4. Many known attachment clips 40 are likewise spring-loaded such that the clips 40 are sufficiently engaged with the loops 30 after the clips 40 are received therewithin. This ensures a secure, snug attachment of the clips 40 to the respective loops 30 thereby preventing disengagement of the clips 40 from the loops 30 when a user pulls a firearm from the holster 15 in anticipation of using the firearm. The height or depth of the belt member 1 as well as the height or depth of the loops 30 are designed so as to be compatible with the known clips 40 in the marketplace.

As clearly illustrated in FIG. 4, when a typical holster 15 is properly attached to the present belt member 1, at most, only a very small top portion of each respective clip 40 which extend over the waistband of pants 45 and may be visible to a third party if waistband rides above the upper portion of belt member 1. In most situations, the waistband of pants 45 engaged with the clips 40 will be at the same level or below the top edge portion of belt member 1 thereby completely hiding the clips 40 from view by a third party. This possibility is even further lessened if a user's shirt blouses over the user's waistline. For all practical purposes, the present belt member 1 completely or at least substantially hides the attachment clips 40 associated with a typical concealed carry holster 15 behind the outer surface 10 of belt member 1 when the holster 15 is engaged with the belt member 1 as explained above.

FIG. 5 illustrates still another embodiment 65 of belt member 1 where the loops, sleeves or pockets 70 are wider in overall length as compared to the loops, sleeves or pockets 30 illustrated in FIG. 1. In embodiment 65, depending upon the overall length of each respective loop 70, a pair of attachment clips 40 associated with a typical concealed carry holster 15 may be engaged within a single loop 70 when the holster is attached to belt member 65. In all other respects, belt member 65 functions and operates in a similar manner as belt member 1. Use of the wider loops 70 can provide better flexibility and adjustability associated with comfortably positioning holster 15 at a desired location for a particular user. It likewise provides savings in manufacturing due to a lesser number of loops 70 as compared to loops 30 as well as less stitching or other means for attaching loops 70 to the inner surface 5 of belt member 65.

FIG. 6 illustrates still another embodiment 80 of belt member 1 where the loops, sleeves or pockets 86 are formed by simply attaching a single elongated member 82 to the inner surface 5 of belt member 80, the single member 82 being attached to the inner surface 5 only at spaced vertical locations along the length of member 82 as illustrated in FIG. 6. Since the member 82 is only attached at the spaced locations 84, that portion of member 82 extending between the respective spaced apart attachment locations 84 are not attached to the inner surface of belt member 80 and these unattached portions of member 82 form the pockets, loops or sleeves 86. In other words, the unattached portions of member 82 extending between the respective attachment locations 86 form the respective loops 30 between the inner surface 5 and member 82. As previously explained, each loop, pocket or sleeve 86 is configured to receive at least one attachment clip 40 associated with a typical concealed carry holster such as holster 15. Depending upon the placement of the vertical attachment locations 86 relative to each other, the size or width of each respective loop, pocket or sleeve 86 can be varied along the length of member 82. In all other respects, belt member 80 functions and operates in a similar manner as belt members 1 and 65. In addition, it is also recognized and anticipated that the single member 82 could be replaced with a plurality of shorter elongated members, each plurality of shorter members being attached to the inner surface 5 of belt member 80 in a similar fashion as just explained such that the spaced attachment locations 86 on each respective separate member would form a plurality of pockets, loops or sleeves therebetween as just described.

It is also recognized and anticipated that each loop, pocket or sleeve 30, 70 and/or 86 could extend to the top and/or bottom edge portions of the respective belt member. In this particular embodiment, the top and/or bottom portion of each respective attachment clip 40 may be slightly visible to a third party. In this regard, each loop, sleeve or pocket 30, 70 and/or 86 may have substantially the same height as the height of the respective belt member. Although this may not be an ideal situation, this configuration yields still another embodiment of the present invention wherein the plurality of loops are associated with the inner surface of the present belt member so as to substantially hide the attachment clips behind the outer surface of the present belt member.

It is recognized and anticipated that the present belt members 1, 65 and 80 as well as loops 30, 70 and 86 could be made from a wide variety of different types of materials so long as such materials are sufficient to carry the weight of a typical concealed carry holster 15 along with a firearm 55 housed therein and are likewise capable of withstanding normal wear and tear due to attaching and unattaching the clips 40 to the respective loops 30, 70 and/or 86. It is also recognized and anticipated that at least some of the plurality of loops 30, 70 and/or 86 may have different widths so long as each loop 30 and/or 70 is wide enough to receive at least one attachment clip 40.

The concealed carry holster belt constructions described above and illustrated in the drawings are presented by way of example only and are not intended to limit the concepts and principles of the present invention. Thus, there has been shown and described several embodiments of a novel concealed carry holster belt. As is evident from the foregoing description, certain aspects of the present invention are not limited by the particular details of the examples illustrated herein, and it is therefore contemplated that other modifications and applications, or equivalents thereof, will occur to those skilled in the art. The terms “having” and “including” and similar terms as used in the foregoing specification are used in the sense of “optional” or “may include” and not as “required”. Many changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications of the present constructions will, however, become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering the specification and the accompanying drawings. All such changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed to be covered by the invention which is limited only by the claims which follow. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A concealed carry holster belt for attachment to a concealed carry holster having attachment clips associated therewith comprising: a belt member having an outer surface, an inner surface and a height; a plurality of loops positioned and located on the inner surface of said belt member for receiving the attachment clips associated with a concealed carry holster; wherein when said attachment clips are received by at least one of said plurality of loops, said attachment clips are substantially hidden behind the outer surface of said belt member.
 2. The concealed carry holster belt of claim 1 wherein said plurality of loops are positioned and located in spaced apart relationship to each other.
 3. The concealed carry holster belt of claim 1 wherein said plurality of loops are integrally formed with said belt member.
 4. The concealed carry holster belt of claim 1 wherein each of said loops are formed on a separate member and each such separate member is attached to the inner surface of said belt member.
 5. The concealed carry holster belt of claim 1 wherein said plurality of loops are all formed on a separate member and said separate member is attached to the inner surface of said belt member.
 6. The concealed carry holster belt of claim 1 wherein at least some of said plurality of loops have different widths.
 7. The concealed carry holster belt of claim 6 wherein the attachment clips associated with a concealed carry holster are receivable within a single loop.
 8. The concealed carry holster belt of claim 1 wherein the height of each of said loops is less than the height of said belt member.
 9. A concealed carry holster belt for attachment to a concealed carry holster having at least one attachment clip associated therewith comprising: a belt member having a length, a height, a top portion, a bottom portion, an outer surface and an inner surface; said inner surface having a plurality of spaced apart sleeves extending along at least a portion of the length of said belt member, each sleeve being configured for receiving at least one attachment clip associated with a concealed carry holster; wherein when said at least one attachment clip is received by at least one of said spaced apart sleeves, said attachment clip is substantially hidden behind the outer surface of said belt member.
 10. The concealed carry holster belt of claim 9 wherein said plurality of spaced apart sleeves are formed by attaching a single separate member to the inner surface of said belt member, said single member being attached at spaced apart locations along its length, each sleeve being formed between the respective spaced apart attachment locations.
 11. The concealed carry holster belt of claim 9 wherein each sleeve is spaced from the top portion of said belt member and the height of each sleeve is less than the height of said belt member.
 12. The concealed carry holster belt of claim 9 wherein at least some of said plurality of sleeves have different widths.
 13. The concealed carry holster belt of claim 9 wherein said plurality of sleeves are integrally formed with said belt member.
 14. An assembly for carrying a concealed carry holster, said assembly comprising: a concealed carry holster having at least one attachment clip associated therewith; a belt member having an outer surface, an inner surface and a height; a plurality of loops positioned and located on the inner surface of said belt member for receiving the at least one attachment clip associated with said concealed carry holster; wherein when said at least one attachment clip associated with said concealed carry holster is received by at least one of said plurality of loops, said at least one attachment clip is substantially hidden behind the outer surface of said belt member.
 15. The assembly defined in claim 14 wherein said plurality of loops are integrally formed with said belt member.
 16. The assembly of claim 14 wherein the height of each of said loops is less than the height of said belt member.
 17. The assembly of claim 14 wherein said concealed carry holster includes a pair of attachment clips, each of said pair of attachment clips being receivable within a respective corresponding loop.
 18. The assembly of claim 17 wherein each of said pair of attachment clips are receivable within a single loop. 